Method and apparatus for constructing concrete walls



Oct. 19, 1937.

C. BRYNOLDT METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUCTING Filed Jan. 18, 1933 CONCRETE WALLS 4 Sheets-Sheet l C. BRYNOLDT Oct. 19, 1937.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUCTING CONCRETE WALLS Filed Jan. 18, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet, 2

INVENTOR Oct. 19, 1937. c, BRYNOLDT 2,096,159

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUCTING CONCRETE WALLS Filed Jan. 18, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 6 INVENTOR Bau Oct. 19, 1937.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUGTING CONCRETE WALLS 7 Filed Jan. 18, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 c. BRYNOLDT 2,096,159

47 v 32 I 25 J0- Patented Oct. 19, 1937 UNITED STATES 2.096.159 g METHOD AND APPARATUS-FOR CON- v STRUCTING CONCRETEWALLS; Christian Brynoldt, Pittsburgh; Pa. assi gnor' to Blaw-Knox Company, Blawn'ox, Pa., a corporation of New Jersey Application January 1s, 1.933, seria1 No.., s 52,2e2 13 Claims. (oi.25 131 )f This invention relates to a method and apparatus for building concrete walls either in a single lift, or in a plurality of lifts in which each lift is of less height than the totalheight of the walli The invention is particularly applicable to the building of walls of such height that the concrete of which they are constructed'either cannotpr should not be carried up from the footing to the top of the wall at a single operation, but should preferably be carried up to the full height in two or more operations with an interval allowed for the setting of the concrete in one section before the placing of a second section above iti In the past it hasbeen customary in'constructing walls for canal locks and similar structures to employ a very strong trussed structure of more than the total height of the wall, the trussed structure having members on each side of the wall to support it and being-capable ofbeing moved longitudinally of the walhso that'the wall mold form attached to the structure couldbe shifted longitudinally of the wall to construct successive sections as the work progressed. This trussed structure to which the form was attached either rigidly or adjustably was made sufliciently strong to support the form against the pressure of. the concrete within the. form, the form itself not possessing sufficient rigidity to receive and hold the concrete. r

When the type of trussed structure which has just-been described is employed, it must remain in place until the whole heightof the wall has been poured, whether the concrete is poured in a single operation or in several operations with an interval between to allow setting of the concrete. For example, if one-half or one-third of the height of the wall is poured, and this is followed after an interval for allowing the cement 'to set by another operation to carry the wall to its full height, the trussed structure must remain in place until the section of the wall being constructed is completed to its full height, and unless special provisions are made, the form used for pouring the lower part of the wall must remain in place until the form used in pouring the upper part of the wall has served its purpose and the cement'in the upper part of the wall has set so that the form can be moved. In short, with the method which has been used heretofore, it has been necessary to carry the wall to its full height beforeany of the forms on a given section of the well could be removed and re-used. This has delayed'the shifting of the forms and the placing of back fill behind the wall until after a section of the wall has been built to its full height.

In accordance with the present invention, a section of the wall is cast in a form supported independently of the wall as in the prior practice. A form for an adjoining section of thewall is supportedfrom a carrier, one end, of which issupwan illustrating the ported on the previously cast section of the wall, the. other end being supported independently of the wall; -an'd the adjoining section is cast. The

form carrier is then moved intermittently lengthwise of the wall and other sections are cast until L the whole length of the wall is completed, the care rierduring its movement being supportedv at one end on a previously cast section, and atthe other -end independently of the wall.

When it is desired to build a wall of considerable height, J it is preferred to form it of several horizontal lifts, one above the other, thesections of each lift being formed in separate operations;

' The first lift iscast in sections while the form car- 7 rie'r is' supported as described by'moving the car;-

n'erintermittently lengthwise of the wall and until the'wall' attains the desired height. 7

r In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate several embodiments of my invention,

Figure 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic front ele- Vation illustrating one manner of building a wall in accordance was the present invention, in 'which the wall is formed of three horizontal lifts, sections of each lift being cast in 11210115; I

Figure 2 is a front elevation of one'of the wall forms and its supporting structure; Figure 3 'is a transverse section through the I wall illustrating the manner in which the first lift Figure 4 is a transverse section through the lift is cast; j

Figurefi is a transverse section through the wallillustra-ting the manner in which the third separate operamanner in which the second i fied type of supporting structure for the-wall 7 forms; and

Figure 'l is a front elevation of the wall shown in Figure 6 and illustrating the forms and supports therefor.

1 5 Referring more particularly to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 illustrates one method of building a wall in accordance with the present,

" tion of the lift is poured.

head longitudinal truss; or, carrier indicated gen casting each-of the lifts, although'a single formmight, if desired, be used forecasting the different lifts, the form at various times being locatedin the positions indicated in the drawings. By casting the Wallin horizontal lifts, the forms-may be advanced as soon as the'concrete has set in the sections of the lift being built, itbeing unnecessary to leave the form;-in-.;pos'ition.until :all three lifts are cast, as would be the,case if Lthe form extended the full height of the wall.

Each of the jformsv is supported from-an overerally by, the reference numeral 6 which is supported at one end by averticaltruss I, the constructions of which will be described more fully hereinafter. Wheelsj8aremountedin'the lower end of. the truss ,1 andrun on rails 9 supported on a concrete footing I .which has beenlaid previously. The r'earx end of the truss 6 is likewise providedrwithwheels H iwhich run on rails I2.supportedion the top. ofa previously castportion of the particular". lift being built; :Thus,

.the form shown attithe'right in. Figure 1' isused in buildingthel lift.2.' It is supported from'the "'30 itruss 6 .is supportedat its front :end1by truss] horizontal longitudinally extending trussB. The

which has wheels.,8 resting on'rails 9. The rear end of trussfi is supported, by wheels resting on tracks [2 supported on .aportion of lift 2 which has already been cast. When the .build- -ing of the wall isv first started, it,is,of course,

necessary to support th e rear end of the truss 6 by some temporarypsupportingmeans; or by a *section of the lift 2 which has been cast-against forms supported independently of the .wall but after the first section of the. par ticular: li ft has been built, it. is .always;suppor ted by the, top of the lift Which has been cast;

Referringmore particularly to- Figures 2 and 3,

the. horizontal truss 6 comprises twotrusses -|5 extending lengitudinally of the wall, these trusses Qbeing supported at the rear by :wheelsJl ;run-

hing on rails l2, the rails being supported .on

timbers I6, andat the front by truss I ,having wheels 8 resting on, rails,9. .The longitudinal trusses l5 are connected .at,.int'ervals by transverse trusses I1.

With this arrangement I am -able to .support the wall forms 20 and 2|.from the transverse trusses I! by jacks [8 so that they may. be raised or lowered into the desired positions. The supporting of side forms adjustably on an over-' head structure is not new in the art; but is nevertheless desirable. However, it is not essential that'the'longitudinal trusses. be placed abovethe work, their 1 positionbeing merely .a matter of engineering preference. 'I mayffor example, spread'the trusses l5far enough apart to place them outside of the wall forms =2!) and 21, either above or below" the level ofthe' top of the section of thewall tobe casty'or I-ma-y-even incorporate them in the side forms themselves, if the feature of rendering 'the positiomof the forms adjustable with-reference to the" trusses be omitted. -It'is, however, essential to-m y invention 'that the form, during the process of shifting, be supported from opposite ends and some longitudinal member or members strong moved-inthis way must-be-used, thebest location of such members being a matter 'of engineering determined by circumstances. As shown in Figure 2 3, the :{form *Zll extends i substantially verticallyybutthe formfl' is provided with ,a

series of steps 22, '23 and. The forms are pre- 5 vented from spreading transversely of the wall,

:by means of jacks 25 at the upper'ends ofthe forms" and "by means of anchor bolts 26 at the lower ends of the forms. The wall is' provided with-a tunnel '21 extending therethrough. Tie 10 1 rods128 .connect the forms and 2| with the forms used in forming the tunnel.

.rforms 2|] and 2|v are adjustable-so thatthe space this way, the forms used in making the lower lift may be brought closertogether'and 'may1then between them-may beumadei greater or less.

be used inmaking. the second or the third lift.-

In order to prevent spreading of ,theforms; they are maintained in positions near their, topsby jacks 33 and near their bottoms by anchorbolts 26 embedded in the lower lift 2. A tie rrod 35,

7 also extends through the lifti=3z and the form'2l .is furthermaintained imposition by ayjack .36.

In Figure 5 there is shown, a section of theswall in which all three; lifts ,2, 3 andl have been. cast. 35

The-transverse trusses II have been shortened from the chain lineposition 'torthe full line position, the trusses being made in section so that they may be easilyadjusted. for use on; narrow walls. In this figure, instead of supportingithe 540 rear ends of both of the. longitudinaltrusses l5 on the top of the lift 4,'only,one truss is so supported,

the'other beingsupported by a raill 2 placed one step 31 of the form 2|. i

, 'Figures 6 and 7 show a modified embodiment in 445 which the forms 20a and 2 lafor the. sides .oi'cthe wall are reinforcedby trusses 38 and 39,.respectively. .The trusses 38 are connected. by horizontally extending trusses. 4D and the trusses-39.by :horizontally extending trusses 4|. The forms .are

preventedifrom spreading laterally in a manner similar; to that described in'connection with the other embodiment, by jacks 42 and anchorybolts .26. The construction shown in Figures '6 and 7 may be so designedas to eliminate the necessity of he bolts through thewall by: making the trusses strong enough. By making the trusses 4'0 and.

strong enough, or increasing their number, it.lis

possibleto reduce the. numberof trusses or ties over the top of the wa1l, ,or even to eliminate all 5460 ties and trusses over the wall and rely on end ties or trusses and anchor bolts alone.

The wall forms are provided with bulkheads 45 as shown in Figures 1, 2 and'l, the bulkheads preventing the concrete from running out of the front end of the forms. The location of the rear ends of the forms against the previously cast section of the Wall confines the concrete at that end. The concrete exerts pressure against the form both laterally and longitudinally. It is also necessary to prevent longitudinal movement of the forms due to the pressure of the concrete against the portion of the wall which has already been formed. This may be accomplished as shown in Figure 2 by the use of a tie rod 28a embeddedin The 15 a previously cast portion 4'! of the wall, which tie rod is connected to one of the steel walers 32. The bulkhead 45 is maintained closed against the pressure of the concrete by braces 48 placed against the steel walers 49, the opposite end of the braces fitting into depressions in the footing.

It will be seen from the above description that in the present method it is only necessary to retain the forms in place until one section of a single lift of the wall has had time to set. If forms were used which extended the whole height of the wall, even if the wall were cast in vertical sections, it would be necessary to retain the forms in place until the top of the wall had been built. With the present method, however, the forms may be shifted in the morning of one day, filled the same day, and again shifted and filled on the following day, so that all the forms supplied to a given piece of work may, if the work be conducted expeditiously, be used once each day while the work is in progress. This results in a substantial saving in the number of forms required and enables the wall to be built much more rapidly. Furthermore, the lower lift of the wall may be back filled as soon as a portion of it has been built, it being unnecessary to wait for the completion of any section of the wall to its full height.

The forms for forming the wall are adjustable so as to accommodate them to various width walls. The particular type of forms will depend upon the particular type of wall which is to be built.

The invention is applicable not only to the building of walls of considerable height by casting superimposed horizontal lifts in separate operations, but is adapted to the construction of walls in which the entire height is cast in one lift.

I have illustrated and described several embodiments of my invention and have described the manner in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood, however, that the invention may be otherwise embodied or practiced within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. The method of building concrete walls, which comprises pouring concrete into a wall form to form one section of a horizontal lift of less height than the total height of the wall, advancing the form, supporting it from a footing and from a previously cast portion of said lift, pouring another section of the first lift, and forming sections of a second lift on the first-lift before the entire length of the first lift is completed.

2. In the method of building concrete walls, the steps comprising intermittently advancing a wall form and pouring concrete therein to form the first lift of the wall, placing a wall form above the first lift and supporting it in part from the first lift and in part from a previously cast portion of a second lift, and intermittently advancing the form and pouring concrete therein to advance the formation of the second lift.

3. The method of building concrete walls; which comprises laying a footing, supporting a wall form from the footing, pouring concrete into the form to build the first section of a first lift of less height than the total height of the wall, intermittently advancing the wall form and pouring concrete therein to form the first lift of the wall, placing a wall form above the first lift and supporting it in part from the first lift and in part from a previously cast portion of a second lift, and intermittently advancing the form and pouringconcrete therein to advance the formation of the second lift.

of the Wall, said supports being provided with' wheels and adapted for longitudinal movement as a unit, and wall forms supported by said horizontal support.

6. In the method of building concrete walls in which a section of the wall is cast against a form supported from a carrier, the step comprising moving the carrier lengthwise of the wall while supported adjacent one end by a previously cast section of the wall and adjacent the other end independently of said section.

7. In the method of building concrete walls, the steps comprising supporting a form on a carrier, moving the carrier lengthwise of the wall while supported adjacent its ends at different elevations, and casting an adjoining section.

8. The method of building concrete walls, which comprises casting a section of the wall against a form supported by a carrier while supporting the carrier adjacent one end by a previously cast section of the wall and adjacent the other end at a lower elevation and independently of said previously cast section.

9. In a wall mold apparatus, a pair of mold forms, a horizontal longitudinally movable carrier for the mold forms, and supports adjacent the ends of the carrier, said supports lying at least in part between the longitudinal extensions of said mold forms.

10. In a wall mold apparatus, a pair of mold forms, a horizontal carrier for the mold forms, and supports adjacent the ends of the carrier, said supports terminating at their lower ends at different elevations and lying at least in part between the longitudinal extensions of said mold forms.

11. Apparatus for building concrete walls, comprising a horizontal support, vertical supports connected thereto at the front and rear ends thereof, the vertical support at the front end extending downwardly to a different elevation than the vertical supportat the rear end, and Wall forms supported by the horizontal support.

12. The combination in a wall mold apparatus of a, supporting frame comprising a longitudinally disposed rigid top member, a rigid member depending from one end thereof and connected thereto, side wall and bulkhead forms supported by the frame, means providing lateral adjustment of the wall forms, and wheeled supports for the frame moving on tracks laid within the longitudinal planes of said wall forms.

13. A wall form apparatus comprising a rigid frame having an upwardly extending side member and a connecting top member, wheeled supports for said frame, side wall and bulkhead forms rigidly connected to the frame, and means providing lateral adjustment of the wall forms by movement of the frame side member relative to the connecting top member.

CHRISTIAN BRYNOLDT. 

